7 Best iOS Utility Apps for This Attorney/ Writer/ Blogger

The bullet journal crowd knows: handwriting promotes clarity and retention. Yet we also comprehend the convenience of apps chosen with care. This article details the “why” underlying this attorney/ writer /blogger / bullet jouraler’s top six iOS apps within the Utilities category. The common thread: each continues to impress and delight, months/years after purchase.

These scenarios and more schooled me: Pam, find another method for cementing thoughts to paper when out and about.

Cover every base

I’m blessed in many ways, including immediate access to both iOS and Android devices. I adore the Nexus 6P or more accurately, its Google powered less-then-$35-a-month Project Fi network. Add the IFTTT platform kissing Android devices with a business line —perfection for automated e-contacts logging. Missed Andrroid calls and texts spark alerts on my iPhone and iPad, also through the magic of IFTTT.

But when I crave an app to resolve an ongoing problem, I turn to the iOS App Store complimenting my iPhone, the personal-line phone always within easy reach. Simple reason: much more frequently than not, that particular store holds my bingo. Opposite result in Google’s store.

The iOS-only Just Press Record app single-handedly validates my launch-day Apple Watch purchase, via the app’s March 2017 update. One tap on the watch face empowers recording. And, as I continue my walk or run or gas pumping or photo shoot, that app continues working with and for me. The March update added background goodness, nodding to the god of auto-transcription. Result: my verbal notes land on my iPhone and iPad, via iCloud, where speech-to-text does its magnificent job. The same app performs the same chores on both iPhone and iPad.

Once back home, I indulge a writing session on my iPad. The app-captured thoughts flirt with my memory bank. To flesh out my hazy recall, I query Siri. She rifles throughout the iPad, using the system-wide Spotlight search mechanism. The plain text version of my notes greets me. Because Just Press Record embraces the system Share Sheet, 2 taps push the text version to Drafts (see next section), encouraging a simple copy and paste maneuver.

All of this, flowing from a tap on my wrist followed by my spoken words. Folks, few if any alternatives provide such a comprehensive solution to notetaking while on the go.

Price of entry? One $5 bill for the universal iOS version which includes the Apple Watch version; and, another $5 for the Mac version. Money. Well. Spent.

→ Blogger / Attorney / Writer Friends

2️⃣, 3️⃣, 4️⃣ Drafts + Bit.ly + TweetBot

Where a writer or attorney sits before a screen of any size, the need for data capture jumps to the forefront. Likewise, bloggers crave food to feed a blog; and, Twitter’s voracious appetite encourages multiple daily feedings. Scheduling aides assist (e.g., WordPress’ scheduling mechanism, SocialOomph, and the Buffer app), but each assumes the existence of prepared data meals.

I could “like” the tweet, and review the Faves listing later. I refuse. Why? My bullet journal alerted me to my digital lunacy, in the form of 18 live digital inboxes. After effecting a cure, I’m down to 3 digital inboxes: Google Drive, PinBoard.in (bookmarks, with my notes in description field), and iCloud. How? By forcing any and everything into one of those three storage options.

5️⃣ Word Swag

Many folks recommend Canva, an app I found non-intuitive. Continuing my hunt, I stumbled onto Word Swag. One look at its screen propels image manipulation, explaining how this app earned a solid spot in my image creation workflow.

I rush to add: as of mid-2018, no easy board-cover creation feature appears within Word Swag. I can live with that, since only the blog-post-title images trigger ongoing creation.

6️⃣ Spark by Readdle

Many folks in the legal profession still use fax machines 😳 and aol.com addresses. The love affair with eMail is especially strong. Courts have joined the eMail party, sending notifications of recent filings. My bullet journal provides an easy mechanism for noting who sent what when, with related “respond” deadlines. But corralling the referenced documents mandates a definitive storage scheme.

Spark finesses my desire for PDF-ing eMail cover letters or messages. Not only can I one-tap create the PDF, another tap pushes it to (contents searchable!) Google Drive.

Searching within the app, across eMail accounts, proves easy and effective, as does speedy access to just-this-account for now.

7️⃣ CalenGoo

Stepping outside my comfort zone (e.g., attorney → full-time professional writer) presents a feast of Thanksgiving caliber to (inner critic) Poindexter. Pointy lurks with manic glee, poised to pounce when I misstep. So much to learn; so many nuances to master. Small wonder webinars frequent the day blocks of my calendar.

Some apps make ya wanna sing

Further, authors need a platform. Honing my presence on assorted social networks eased onto my todo lists. Tracking those activities manually with a bullet journal eats time. I instead enlist IFTTT to automate pushing copies of my public postings and comments to iOS calendars (iOS.FaceBook, iOS.Reddit, iOS.Twitter, iOS.WordPress, etc). During my Weekly Review, I compare those entries with my dual time blocking (the plan, and the reality). That process, in turn, beefs personal accountability, essential when you hangout in solo-work land.

The native iOS calendar … um … well, stinks. I refer to its paltry feature set, as compared with Google Calendar. Google, of course, also has its irritations. Only a powerful calendar client addresses the need to hone in on a single calendar with one tap or review all calendars, AND maintain sanity during the process. CalenGoo shines as that desperately needed client. Example: the templates feature → doubletap on the desired date block, choose a template (created from a similar earlier entry), then fill in with the current details. Crazy quick and easy!

CalenGoo- add an entry with a template; create a template by saving an entry, then selecting the segments to prepopulate subsequent entries

The excess-taps game remains a stranger to CalenGoo. The user interface responds as intuition suggests. Templates permit one-tap creation of a skeletal event, easy to massage with the flesh of details as dictated by circumstance. The app honors colors assigned per calendar, but allows fuss-free changes within the app, both Bally and individually. Succinctly, using this app day in and day out breeds stronger love as opposed to growing contempt.

I have yet to experience a need unaddressed by this app. It simply bends to my will. Bonus: a question emailed to the developer sparked a thoughtful detailed “bingo!” response, within a mere few hours. Nuff said!

🔴 Friendly Plus ($2/ iOS Universal & Android)

IGNORE THIS SECTION: A July ’17 update futzed the app. Back buttons yield blank pages, and ads pour through on both the iPhone and iPad. [7.12.2017] I’ve opted to keep this section accessible, in case a subsequent update restores this app’s luster.

When dreams include “published author,” marketing tasks populate the ToDo section. Marketing requires a presence where desired readers spend time. That translates into targeted Facebook groups. I loathe Facebook, a fact promoting multiple Facebook personas and their inevitable deletions in prior years. But dreams mandate actions, in this case, a final new Facebook membership, designed to permit the necessary homework study of certain Facebook groups.

Dealing with Facebook from mobile devices leaves one exposed to countless ads, suggestions, and recommendations—99.9% of which underscore the meaning of “time waster.” Facebook’s insistence on using a second app, Messenger, only escalates the annoyance factor.

The Friendly Plus app conquers these irritants, as well as just about every other FaceBook annoyance, for both iOS and Android users. All those ads populating the timeline → Bye Felicia! I bounced the Messenger app from all devices long ago, yet I retain the ability to handle Facebook messages thanks to this app.

A rare instance of ultimate truth in naming an app. “Friendly Plus” indeed

I rush to add: this app and perfection reside in separate zip codes. The app sometimes freezes and refuses to recognize certain changes, such as deleting a group. But the benefits far exceed the grrs.

Yes, a free version awaits your selection. But the magic exudes only from the Plus version. Given the puny $2 price of entry (or $4 total if you’re rocking both Android and iOS), this little buddy gifts an Energizer-bunny style ROI (return on investment). Hey, get thee this gem!

Read More

While the bullet journal remains my BFF within the context of life-management schemes, digital remains a friend — when tamed. Following years of premium-level subscriptions to EverNote, ToDoist, and others, I’m here to tell you: kicking them all to the curb proved the gift that keeps on giving. I use digital tools in a more intelligent manner post-BuJo adoption, plucking the best while jettisoning the rest. The resulting time (and $$) savings still blow my mind.

Have you inventoried your eTools recently? Are you convinced each promotes, rather than hinders, genuine productivity? Are you satisfied with your premier thought-capturing tool? Is it always accessible? Does that tool spark friction or fidelity to braindumping?

You’ve got dreams. You’re determined to achieve each one. Please, be a friend to yourself and doublecheck your tools. The world loves to toss obstacles in your path. Just be sure none of those obstacles masquerade as helpful apps! To paraphrase Steve Harvey: everything by your side ain’t necessarily on your side.